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Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers: Ancient Advice for the Modern World
“Seek for meetings with holy men and women.”
These words from fifth-century bishop Palladius ring as true today as they did 1600 years ago. Palladius wrote of his visit to the deserts of Egypt where he spent a decade in conversation with some of the many men and women who lived in caves, huts and monasteries, seeking solitude for prayer and a life “alone with God alone.”
And now you can visit those same holy mystics and hermit. Through their own words, you will Even in their own time, the greatest and wisest of these monks and nuns were recognized as abbas (“fathers”) and ammas (“mothers”), and their life stories and their sayings were collected and widely, but through the years we have unfortunately lost connection to these holy ones.
Like the monks themselves, the teachings of the desert are characterized by their simplicity, their practicality, and their timelessness. Although they were developed amid circumstances quite different from modern urban life, you will find them readily adaptable and applicable to your own daily circumstances.
These words from fifth-century bishop Palladius ring as true today as they did 1600 years ago. Palladius wrote of his visit to the deserts of Egypt where he spent a decade in conversation with some of the many men and women who lived in caves, huts and monasteries, seeking solitude for prayer and a life “alone with God alone.”
And now you can visit those same holy mystics and hermit. Through their own words, you will Even in their own time, the greatest and wisest of these monks and nuns were recognized as abbas (“fathers”) and ammas (“mothers”), and their life stories and their sayings were collected and widely, but through the years we have unfortunately lost connection to these holy ones.
Like the monks themselves, the teachings of the desert are characterized by their simplicity, their practicality, and their timelessness. Although they were developed amid circumstances quite different from modern urban life, you will find them readily adaptable and applicable to your own daily circumstances.
220 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2021
Fr. Bochanski's short survey of the desert fathers and mothers was a very edifying read. At only 170 pages, it is very much a quick glimpse at these saintly men and women but it serves as a jumping off point to learn about them and study their ways of life in greater detail in other works. My only complaint is that the author frequently refers to the priest monks as celebrating Mass but since these were monks of Egypt they would have been celebrating the Divine Liturgy but I think the author, writing from a Latin rite Catholic audience, simply chose language his readers would generally be familiar with.
March 2, 2025
The book offers a surface level lessons on some of the great fathers and mothers of the Desert. It pushes one to want to learn more about their teachings, but also take lessons on how to live in our own “deserts”.
October 16, 2024
Great quick primer to the desert fathers & mothers
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews